Here you won't find the pages of a pedantic journal, praises to fantastic places or accounts of memorable encounters. This is a collection of stories, thoughts, images, and most of all odd stuff, even though to someone else it might actually look ordinary. To discern its bizarre side, in fact, special filters are needed: cynicism, fussiness, stubbornness, isolation, impudence, nosiness and nerdiness. All flaws that, in different measure, this semi-nomadic being has got embedded in his genes.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mystic confusion - Siem Reap, Cambodia

No temples today: I've rented a motorbike with a driver who is showing me around the countryside. He's explaining me about the crops, the Khmer Rouge, the river, the villagers. He says that most of them are Buddhist but there are also quite a few Buddhist Muslims. I smile and say nothing. He will repeat that funny expression various times. When he tells me that many Buddhist Muslims live in the village we're driving through I decide to give it a try."So you're saying that the Muslim community here is quite large...""Yes, very big, many Buddhist Muslims here!"OK, he didn't take the bait. A few minutes later I try with another test."In the bigger cities though, like Phnom Penh, there must be many Christians as well..."Let's see what he's got to say now."Yes, a lot, many Buddhist Christians in Phnom Penh."Buddhist Christians as well...alright my friend, I give up. I'll have to convert to Buddhist laicism then.